Near Malta in DeKalb County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Illinois Lincoln Highway

The First Seedling Mile in the Country

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 9, 2023

1. Illinois Lincoln Highway Marker

Inscription. Work commenced in September of 1914 on the “First Seedling Mile” in Malta, Illinois. This construction was key to the Lincoln Highway, which runs from Times Square in New York City, to Lincoln Park in San Francisco.

Planned in 1913 by the Lincoln Highway Association, this roadway predated the Federal Highway System and later came under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Commissions along the route. The project was completed 14 months after it began.

The road was only 10 feet wide at the time and was paved with concrete in October 1914. The Malta “Seedling Mile,” a former dirt and gravel road, became one of the first experiments using concrete for the development of better road surface. The Lincoln Highway Association began a design effort for a road section that could handle traffic 20 years into the future.

In the early 1920's, national highway experts met and specified the following paved road conditions:
• A right-of-way 110 feet in width
• A concrete road bed 40 feet wide and 10 inches thick to support loads of 8,000 pounds per wheel
• Curves with a minimum radius of 1,000 feet banked for 35 mph with

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guard rails at embankments
• No grade crossings or advertising signs
• A footpath for pedestrians

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Lincoln Highway series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1914.

Location. 41° 56.236′ N, 88° 52.694′ W. Marker is near Malta, Illinois, in DeKalb County. It can be reached from Malta Road (County Highway 31) 0.1 miles north of Lincoln Highway (State Route 38), on the left when traveling north. Marker is in a gazebo in Kishwaukee College's front parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21193 Malta Rd, Malta IL 60150, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Illinois.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 9, 2023

2. Illinois Lincoln Highway Marker

Featured marker (not visible) is in the gazebo.

marker, measured as the crow flies: The Lincoln Highway – The nation's first coast-to-coast highway! (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Illinois Lincoln Highway (here, next to this marker); Lincoln Highway (here, next to this marker); Lincoln Highway Seedling Mile (here, next to this marker); Malta (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Illinois Lincoln Highway (approx. 4½ miles away); a different marker also named Illinois Lincoln Highway (approx. 4½ miles away); The Lincoln Highway - The nation’s first coast-to-coast highway! (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Malta.

Lincoln Highway First Seedling Mile image. Click for full size.

from Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection, University of Michigan Library (Public Domain)

3. Lincoln Highway First Seedling Mile

The Lincoln Highway Association picked a particularly muddy section of the planned route to pave its first mile. The goal was to show drivers how much better a concrete road was, thereby spurring greater public interest and financial support in the project.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.